Research brief & institution hub

Fresno Pacific University

CASmall private nonprofit institution · Overall rank #419 nationally

Data snapshot Updated

Azimuth ranks Fresno Pacific University #419 among 1,467 nonprofit four-year institutions.

Who it’s a good fit for

Fresno Pacific University is a private nonprofit university in Fresno, California, where Education and Business account for the largest shares of degrees. Access is well above average.

Graduates out-earn what predicts for students like them. The model attributes that to a remainder it cannot explain, while the factors it measures subtract from it.

Aid covers most of the published cost for families at the bottom of the income scale, and affordability is well above average. Pell students complete below the overall rate.

The admission rate is below the median for comparable institutions, and most graduates are estimated to go into work rather than further study. A student drawn to the largest programs should know that the best-paid one, Nursing, is much smaller.

Fresno Pacific University at a glance

Admissions and outcomes

Admission rate[1]
64.1%
Six-year completion[2]
50.0%
Four-year earnings[3]
$63,285

Cost and family borrowing

Average annual net price · $48–75K family income[6]
$10,799
Median student debt[4]
$23,146
Median Parent PLUS debt[7]
$10,725

Fresno Pacific University rankings: how Azimuth assesses value[5]

Fresno Pacific University, a private nonprofit university in Fresno, California, enrolls 1,544 undergraduates. The university sits above the median among nonprofit four-year institutions (71st percentile).

Fresno Pacific University admits 64.1% of those who apply, against a median of 75.7% at comparable institutions (same type and size). For full-time first-year students, the retention rate is 71.6%, against a peer median of 74.2%.

The six-year graduation rate is 50.0%, against a peer median of 54.9%. An estimated 57.5% of entrants arrive as transfers or part-time students, so the graduation rate describes a minority of the student body.

The four sit far apart from one another. Access is the strongest pillar, at the 85th percentile, and affordability is close behind at the 80th percentile.

Mobility is the weakest pillar, at the 26th percentile, with return in between at the 61st percentile.

Access is the strongest pillar for Fresno Pacific University, and affordability is the next strongest. Azimuth ranks Fresno Pacific University #419 among 1,467 nonprofit four-year institutions.

Access is the strongest pillar, at the 85th percentile, followed by affordability at the 80th percentile. Return is in the 61st percentile. Mobility is the weakest of the four, at the 26th percentile.

58.4% of undergraduates at Fresno Pacific University receive Pell Grants. That is the financial-access picture for the admitted class.

Azimuth ranks Fresno Pacific University #222 for access among nonprofit four-year institutions. Pell recipients complete at 44.4%, 5.6 percentage points below the overall six-year graduation rate (50.0%).

Azimuth ranks the university #1,085 for mobility. Graduates earn about $1,111 more than the model expects for similar students.

How value-added outcomes are assessed · How to interpret program rankings

Fresno Pacific University rankings in context
GeographyRank
National#419
California#46
West#79

Azimuth overall value rankings within each geographic comparison group.

National pillar percentiles

Economic mobility
National percentile: 26
Access & reach
National percentile: 85
Affordability
National percentile: 80
Return on investment
National percentile: 61

Top-ranked majors

  1. Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas#10
  2. Social Work#10
  3. Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods#15

This school’s three highest-ranked programs nationally. Each rank compares bachelor’s programs in the same field; field sizes differ.

Explore major rankings

01 / Fresno Pacific University briefing

Fresno Pacific University cost & financial aid[6][7]

The average net price at Fresno Pacific University is $13,630, a reduction of $30,619 from the published cost. Aid covers about 69% of the listed cost for the average aid recipient.

The full published cost of attendance is $44,249, an average across living arrangements. Tuition and fees are $36,660, and room and board are $10,210.

That is $8,717 below the $22,347 median at comparable institutions (same type and size). Azimuth ranks the university #290 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. That result places the affordability pillar in the 80th percentile.

The published cost of attendance at Fresno Pacific University is $44,249 (an average across living arrangements). Azimuth ranks the university #290 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

After grants and scholarships, the average net price for aid recipients from families earning under $30,000 is $11,133, for those earning $48,001 to $75,000 it is $10,799, and for those earning over $110,000 it is $20,353. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $9,220.

Aid covers about 69% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. The average net price across all aid recipients is $13,630, which is $8,717 below the $22,347 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Borrowers who complete a degree leave with a median of $23,146 in federal student loans, $1,854 below the $25,000 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). 88.1% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans.

Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $10,725 in Parent PLUS loans. If repaid over ten years, the median federal debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $263 a month.

Your family income

Choose a household income range to see estimated net price.

Reported average annual net price · $48–75K$10,799

After grants and scholarships. Your aid offer may differ.

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Borrowing and repayment at Fresno Pacific University

Borrowers who complete leave with a median of $23,146 in federal student loans at Fresno Pacific University. Most undergraduates here borrow through the federal loan program, at a share of 88.1%.

The peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size) is $25,000. The median at this university is $1,854 below that level.

Parent PLUS loans represent a separate borrower pool. The median for that group is $10,725.

Four years after completion, federally aided graduates of Fresno Pacific University who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $63,285. That places the figure at the 61st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The university's median is $7,370 above the peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size), which is $55,915. Graduates earn about $1,111 more than the model expects for similar students.

The gap is at the 59th percentile. Earnings scenarios, estimated from the program mix, span from $51,868 on the downside to $75,478 on the upside.

The typical earnings scenario is $63,285. The median federal debt for borrowers who complete is $23,146.

That amount is $1,854 below the peer median of $25,000. If repaid over ten years, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $263 a month.

For the separate population of parent borrowers, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $10,725. For student borrowers, the median federal debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $263 a month if repaid over ten years.

How Financial GPS measures payment burden · The four risk-and-reward zones

Financial GPS

What does repayment look like?

Institution median student debt
$23,146
Institution Parent PLUS debt
$10,725

Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.

Estimated student payment · monthly
$263/mo
Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
$136/mo

Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.

Payment assumptions

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.

Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS
Read the full cost & aid brief

02 / Fresno Pacific University briefing

Fresno Pacific University career outcomes & earnings[3][8][9]

Azimuth places the return pillar for Fresno Pacific University in the 61st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The median for federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled is $63,285 four years after completion, a level in the 61st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

That amount stands $7,370 above the $55,915 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Graduates earn about $1,111 more than the model expects for similar students.

That result falls in the 59th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) subtracts $2,366.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain adds $3,477. Within the measured factors, the STEM component subtracts $969.

At Fresno Pacific University, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $63,285 four years after completion. That is $7,370 above the $55,915 median for comparable institutions (same type and size), and Azimuth places the figure in the 61st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The earnings cohort numbers 1,021 completers. Graduates earn about $1,111 more than the model expects for similar students, a result that sits at the 59th percentile.

Earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix show a typical outcome of $63,285, with a downside scenario of $51,868 and an upside scenario of $75,478. An estimated 28.4% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix.

The earnings picture is strongest in a handful of programs, while the broad median reflects a degree mix weighted toward education and human services.

Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates of Fresno Pacific University who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $63,285. The peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size) is $55,915, placing the university $7,370 above that benchmark.

Azimuth ranks the university #577 for return among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $1,111 more than the model expects for similar students.

That result lands at the 59th percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) subtracts $2,366.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain adds $3,477. Within the measured factors, the STEM component subtracts $969.

The university's program mix is concentrated in education and human-service fields, with only 4.2% of degrees awarded in STEM. Earnings scenarios estimated from that mix range from a downside of $51,868 to an upside of $75,478.

An estimated 28.4% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix.

The earnings scenarios show a range from $51,868 on the downside to $75,478 on the upside, with $63,285 as the typical scenario. These are scenarios estimated from the program mix, not observed groups of graduates.

At the upper end, Nursing graduates earn $112,178 four years after completion, from 9 degrees awarded a year. Computer Engineering Technologies/Technicians follows at $88,542, from 5 degrees awarded.

The largest program, Subject-Area Teacher Education, awards 109 degrees and posts median earnings of $61,005.

At Fresno Pacific University, the published cost of attendance is $44,249 (an average across living arrangements), but the average price after grants and scholarships for aid recipients is $13,630. That average is $8,717 below the $22,347 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Borrowers who finish carry a median of $23,146 in federal student loans, $1,854 below the $25,000 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $263 a month if repaid over ten years.

Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $10,725 in Parent PLUS loans. Graduates earn about $1,111 more than the model expects for similar students, and the median debt sits below the peer median. Net price is below the peer median and earnings exceed the model's expectation.

What explains value-added earnings?
Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.
-$2,366
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
+$3,477
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
+$1,111

These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

Read the full outcomes brief

03 / Fresno Pacific University briefing

Fresno Pacific University acceptance rate & admissions[1][10][11]

Fresno Pacific University admits 64.1% of applicants. The admission rate is below the median of 75.7% for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Admissions
Admission rate
64.1%
Read the full admissions brief

04 / Fresno Pacific University briefing

What are the largest majors at Fresno Pacific University?[12]

The highest-earning program at Fresno Pacific University is Nursing, where graduates earn a median of $112,178 four years after completion. It is a small program, with 9 degrees awarded a year.

The largest programs sit in education and business. Subject-Area Teacher Education awards 109 degrees a year, and Azimuth ranks it #10 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field.

Graduates earn a median of $61,005. Business Administration and Management is nearly as large, at 108 degrees awarded, with median earnings of $70,983. Azimuth ranks it #136 in its field.

Azimuth ranks 6 of the university's programs nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions. Several of the largest programs sit near the top of their fields.

Subject-Area Teacher Education is the largest, with 109 degrees awarded. Azimuth ranks it #10 nationally and #2 in California.

Business Administration and Management follows at 108 degrees awarded, with median earnings of $70,983. Human Development and Family Studies awards 98 degrees and ranks #22 nationally.

The highest-earning program is Nursing, at $112,178, though it awarded only 9 degrees.

Four-year earnings · six largest reported fields
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas 109 degrees awarded
$61,005
Business Administration, Management and Operations 108 degrees awarded
$70,983
Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services 98 degrees awarded
$51,756
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods 86 degrees awarded
$60,338
Social Work 81 degrees awarded
$61,951
Psychology, General 34 degrees awarded
$52,695

Fields selected by reported completions. Counts describe credentials awarded, not unique students or the earnings sample. Bars show median four-year earnings.

Read the full majors brief

05 / Fresno Pacific University briefing

What colleges are similar to Fresno Pacific University?[15]

Azimuth groups alternatives by admissions, location, cost and earnings, then orders candidates within each group. Peer earnings use the matched four-year cohort. How matching works.

A shortlist for different decisions

Choose a row to compare the figures with Fresno Pacific University.

Admissions peerNewman University74.0% admitted
Comparison with Fresno Pacific University
MeasureFresno Pacific UniversityNewman University
Peer earnings · 4 years$63,285$56,857-$6,428 vs Fresno Pacific University
Average annual net price$13,630$19,971+$6,341 vs Fresno Pacific University · higher cost
Admission rate64.1%74.0%
Higher-admission alternativeUniversity of California-Merced90.5% admitted
Comparison with Fresno Pacific University
MeasureFresno Pacific UniversityUniversity of California-Merced
Peer earnings · 4 years$63,285$65,410+$2,125 vs Fresno Pacific University
Average annual net price$13,630$11,983-$1,647 vs Fresno Pacific University · lower cost
Admission rate64.1%90.5%
Explore University of California-Merced →
Nearby alternativeCalifornia State University-FresnoNearby option · CA
Comparison with Fresno Pacific University
MeasureFresno Pacific UniversityCalifornia State University-Fresno
Peer earnings · 4 years$63,285$59,992-$3,293 vs Fresno Pacific University
Average annual net price$13,630$7,000-$6,630 vs Fresno Pacific University · lower cost
Admission rate64.1%95.3%
Explore California State University-Fresno →
Higher-earnings alternativeHoly Family University$82,892 earnings
Comparison with Fresno Pacific University
MeasureFresno Pacific UniversityHoly Family University
Peer earnings · 4 years$63,285$82,892+$19,607 vs Fresno Pacific University
Average annual net price$13,630$13,143-$487 vs Fresno Pacific University · lower cost
Admission rate64.1%71.0%
Explore Holy Family University →
Lower-cost alternativeCalifornia State University-Stanislaus$6,067 average net price
Comparison with Fresno Pacific University
MeasureFresno Pacific UniversityCalifornia State University-Stanislaus
Peer earnings · 4 years$63,285$58,952-$4,333 vs Fresno Pacific University
Average annual net price$13,630$6,067-$7,563 vs Fresno Pacific University · lower cost
Admission rate64.1%98.1%
Explore California State University-Stanislaus →
Similar profilePacific UniversityMatched across several measures
Comparison with Fresno Pacific University
MeasureFresno Pacific UniversityPacific University
Peer earnings · 4 years$63,285$62,363-$922 vs Fresno Pacific University
Average annual net price$13,630$35,273+$21,643 vs Fresno Pacific University · higher cost
Admission rate64.1%89.6%

Each school is the first-ranked match in its category, not a recommendation across every measure. The same college may lead more than one category. Figures use the matching snapshot; earnings reflect the matched four-year cohort. — means unavailable.

Read the full similar schools brief

Data scope & methodology

Structured payloads generated Governed hub narrative Governed spoke corpus

Four-year earnings describe cohorts of completers. Figures for other horizons describe different cohorts and are not joined into a career-growth projection.

Azimuth's overall rank and pillar percentiles come from the school profile. Absolute pillar ranks, city, enrollment and official-site links are shown only when structured data supplies them.

Detailed earnings, cost, admissions and program values come from the endpoint responsible for each measure. Missing values are not replaced with zero. Value-added estimates are model associations, not causal effects.

Figures are refreshed with each data release, at most a quarter apart. The underlying source dates can be earlier than the release.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.

Read the ranking methodology, data definitions and limitations · About College Azimuth

Read the analysis behind value-added earnings and the change to four-year graduate earnings. These articles are published on collegeazimuth.com.

Data notes & source fields

Scorecard field codes identify the underlying measure; Azimuth-derived values are labeled separately. Snapshot dates are not measurement years. Source populations and reporting periods differ across measures. Field definitions are in the U.S. Department of Education · College Scorecard documentation; notes with a different source link it below.

  1. Admission rate. Reported applicants admitted; not a transfer-specific or individual admission probability.

    Source fields: ADM_RATE

  2. Six-year completion. First-time, full-time students completing at the institution within 150% of normal time, typically six years for a bachelor’s degree.

    Source fields: C150_4

  3. Four-year institutional earnings. Median earnings of graduates in the reported cohort who are working and not enrolled, four years after completion.

    Source fields: MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

  4. Median federal student debt. Federal student-loan debt among completers in the reported borrowing cohort. Excludes Parent PLUS and is not total debt across all students.

    Source fields: GRAD_DEBT_MDN

  5. National, regional and state ranks; pillar percentiles; major ranks. Derived scores within the stated eligible comparison set, not raw Scorecard fields. Major ranks compare institutions within a field; their denominators differ.

    Source fields: Azimuth rankings

    College Azimuth · Ranking methodology

  6. Annual net price by family income. Average annual cost after grants and scholarships for the eligible first-time, full-time aid-recipient cohort. Public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. Includes living costs; these are averages, not medians or individual offers.

    Source fields: NPT4_PUB/PRIV; NPT41_PUB/PRIV through NPT45_PUB/PRIV

  7. Parent PLUS debt, payments and GPS illustration. Stored payments use Financial GPS loan and repayment assumptions. The adjustable spectrum applies the published framework to annual student payments divided by earnings minus an expense allowance; its initial allowance uses the frozen 2024 framework baseline. It is an illustration rather than a school rating. Parent PLUS uses the completer median where available, otherwise the all-borrower median; these describe different borrowing populations.

    Source fields: PLUS_DEBT_ALL_COMP_MD; fallback PLUS_DEBT_ALL_MD; Azimuth Financial GPS calculations

    College Azimuth · Financial GPS methodology

  8. Downside and upside earnings; yellow band. The band spans the modeled lower and higher scenarios. It is not the P25–P75 interval for individual graduates. The median marker is the separately reported institutional median.

    Source fields: Azimuth modeled program-mix scenarios

    College Azimuth · Earnings scenario methodology

  9. Value added and its components. Observed-factor attribution plus the unexplained remainder equals total modeled value added. These are associations, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

    Source fields: Azimuth statistical model

    College Azimuth · Value-added methodology

  10. SAT score range and reported midpoint. Reported scores of enrolled score-submitters, not admission cutoffs. The midpoint field is not necessarily the middle of the displayed range.

    Source fields: SATVR25 + SATMT25; SATVR75 + SATMT75; SAT_AVG

  11. First-year retention. Retention of the reported full-time cohort at four-year institutions.

    Source fields: RET_FT4

  12. Program earnings, completion counts and major-mix dots. Included bachelor’s programs have at least five reported completions. Counts are aggregated credentials, not unique people or an earnings sample. Major-mix dots group those counts by field of study; excluded programs are not zero activity.

    Source fields: EARN_MDN_4YR; IPEDSCOUNT1; CIPCODE

    College Scorecard · Field-of-study technical documentation

  13. Pell recipients. Share of undergraduates receiving a Pell Grant in the reported academic year.

    Source fields: PCTPELL

  14. Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group. This is not an observed transfer-in rate. It includes part-time entrants and other entering-student attendance patterns.

    Source fields: 1 − PFTFTUG1_EF

  15. Peer earnings and signed differences. Differences are peer minus this school, from the same matching snapshot. A positive earnings difference does not mean the peer is better on every measure.

    Source fields: Azimuth peer model using MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

    College Azimuth · Comparison methodology

How to interpret program rankings